Sunday

It's unusual for Mr H and I to be in the study working together! Coffee and Muse playing - I could get used to this!

The last few weeks have been full of poorly offspring and it looks like we are not out of the woods yet with younger son succumbing this weekend.  Some times I think it would be so much better if it all happened close together and then it would be all over and done with! but then I remember the times when they were little and ill at the same time - exhausting.
I am relishing the time I am having with them and being able to look after them- all though I'm not sure that my patient nurse persona could carry on for ever!

I have been busy - I've made some pickled onions with some some shallots I had in the fridge - funnily enough  it was Janie's post  ( from The Hedge Comber) about the beef and shallots that reminded me about the ones in the fridge.  I had wanted to pickle them before Christmas but just had run out of time!.

So how did I make them? I took the unpeeled onions and popped them in a heatproof dish and covered them with boiling water for one minute. I then strained them and poured cold water over them to cool them. This makes it easier to peel. I top and tailed each one with a pair of kitchen scissors . Peeled them popped each onion into a large china bowl and covered them with table salt. The bowl was then covered, placed into a cool place and left overnight.

 The next day -the salt was rinsed off with cold water. I sterilised my jar ( I used a kilner jar) by putting it into the dishwasher first and then into a hot oven - about 140  degrees Centigrade for 15mins. The rubber ring had been removed before hand and was sterilised by placing in simmering water for ten minutes or so.

 Once the jar was cool - the onions were packed into the jar

 and the topped up with a ready prepared pickling vinegar.

The jar was sealed  and then left for a couple of weeks to mature!

Et voila - homemade pickled onions!